{"id":126672,"date":"2026-10-09T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T07:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=126672"},"modified":"2026-10-09T03:17:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T02:17:31","slug":"dwp-confirms-extra-travel-payments-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/dwp-confirms-extra-travel-payments-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"DWP Confirms Extra Travel Payments for Five Benefits, With up to 30p per Mile Available"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The financial assistance also covers car hire, meals and overnight accommodation, subject to specific limits. The arrangements, outlined in Ministry of Justice (MoJ<\/strong>) guidance, are intended to help families maintain contact with relatives serving prison sentences, with family relationships recognised as a factor in reducing reoffending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five DWP Benefits Qualify for Prison Visiting Travel Expenses<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the Birmingham Mail, people receiving Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Jobseeker\u2019s Allowance (JSA) or Income Support are among those eligible for financial assistance with prison visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The support is available to qualifying claimants <\/a>travelling to see relatives in prison, with the amount they can receive depending on their journey <\/strong>and the expenses involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Ministry of Justice guidance, eligible visitors travelling by car or bicycle can claim 20p for every mile travelled. The mileage allowance<\/strong> is higher in Scotland, where the rate rises to 30p per mile, as reported by the Telegraph<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visitors who need to hire a vehicle can also receive financial assistance. The guidance allows them to claim up to \u00a340 per day towards car hire costs, providing another option for those making journeys to prisons. Food and drink expenses are covered under separate rules, with payments determined by journey duration and location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For journeys lasting between five and ten hours, visitors travelling to prisons in England or Wales can claim \u00a33.50<\/strong> for refreshments. Those visiting prisons in Scotland can receive \u00a34.50 for journeys of the same duration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a journey exceeds ten hours, the allowance increases to \u00a35.10, regardless of whether the prison is located in England, Scotland or Wales. These payments form part of the wider financial assistance available to qualifying visitors, alongside mileage and vehicle hire expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
DWP confirms travel payments of up to 30p per mile for claimants on five benefits visiting relatives in prison \u00a9Gov.uk<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Overnight Accommodation Payments and the Role of Family Contact<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Ministry of Justice guidance also provides for overnight accommodation costs when prison visits require visitors to stay away from home. The maximum amount depends on the location of the accommodation and the age of those travelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For overnight stays in London and the South East, eligible adults can claim up to \u00a334, while the allowance for children aged between three and 13 is capped at \u00a317. Elsewhere, the maximum overnight payment is \u00a328 for adults and \u00a314 for children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The financial assistance has also prompted discussion about the importance of maintaining relationships between prisoners and their families. According to the Birmingham Mail<\/a>, former prison governor Ian Acheson<\/strong> defended the arrangements amid reports that the assistance was designed to preserve family connections and support efforts to prevent further offending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDespite an entire penal reform industry\u2019s efforts, we know strikingly little about what stops reoffending<\/em>,\u201d Acheson said. He nevertheless emphasised the recognised importance of maintaining contact with relatives during imprisonment. \u201cBut we do know family contact is important in stopping recidivism<\/em>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acheson described the payments as modest when considered alongside the potential benefits of supporting family relationships and helping prisoners return to society. \u201cThese are actually modest costs for keeping families together and helping prisoners reintegrate<\/em>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also argued that savings could instead be sought by reducing administrative bureaucracy associated with prison conditions, adding: \u201cI would not start here.\u201d The guidance therefore covers several practical costs <\/strong>associated with prison visits, from travel and refreshments to overnight accommodation, while the wider discussion centres on maintaining family contact during imprisonment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

People receiving five Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits may be eligible for travel expenses when visiting relatives in prison. The government guidance sets a mileage rate of 20p, rising to 30p for certain journeys in Scotland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126672"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126678,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126672\/revisions\/126678"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}